Time

Time. Time in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia stands still. And while the rest of you are living in 2011, I am living in 1432. Yes, that's right, 1432. And no, that is not the number of days since my last post.

It is the year 1432 according to the Islamic calendar. I grew up only knowing the Gregorian calendar (the one that makes this year 2011). Imagine my surprise when all our documents (visas,etc) all say it is 1432. I knew I was stepping back in time from a social perspective, but perhaps it was a literal step back in time. Much to my dismay, there was no time portal, and while it is 2011 back home, it is 1432 here.

So I suppose I could deal with the fact that it is 1432. Easy enough to adjust to, despite how strange it looks when you are writing it down.  The other thing about time here is the weekend. The weekend here is Thursday and Friday.

Growing up with a Gregorian calendar, you also tend to have certain assumptions about what a week is. In banker world, it seemed like the week was every day and anytime you were needed. But those with normal working/school hours, the week starts on a Monday. Hence the term, "case of the Mondays". You know what I'm talking about, the end of a fun-filled weekend, the alarm going off too early, preparing for a Monday morning meeting, and dragging your feet to get the week started - a case of the Mondays.  After you've survived Monday and Tuesday, then comes Wednesday, also known as "hump day". The day where you are closer to the weekend than you are to the beginning of the week. Thursday typically involves planning for the weekend which makes the day tolerable, and then lo and behold, TGIF!!! (Thank God It's Friday). Yes, glorious, glorious Friday. Every one is happy, a little lazy, and ready to start the weekend.

My personal favorite day of the week was Saturday. You can wake up whenever you like, take a nap, get out and about and enjoy the day of not working. Sunday isn't too bad either, except for Sunday evening when the reality of starting another work week sets in. And then the cycle begins again....

Thinking about how my entire left was set up for a week to start on Monday and end on Sunday makes me somewhat grateful I'm not working here in the Kingdom. If the weekend is Thursday and Friday, that means Saturday turns into Monday! You can't have a "case of the Saturdays"?! That would defy all logic, right?  I suppose the weekend can always start earlier, TGIW (Thank God It's Wednesday) is probably easier to digest. :)

Well, whatever the year or day may be, you just have to adjust. That's what life is all about, right? Trying new things, experiencing new flavors, and living life to the fullest. So I will be living my life to the fullest here in Saudi Arabia whether it's 1432 or 2011, or if I have the case of the Mondays or Saturdays! :)

-M